Exploring Florida and the southeast with my paint box...
Painting the Real Florida

Welcome to My Project!

I was born and raised in Florida. After many years of travel, attending plein air paint outs, I discovered that residencies are the best way to explore the natural world I love. Working for an extended period from seven to ten days really enhances my painting experience. I am lucky to have friends and collectors who make it possible to explore the exciting and interesting locations I love to paint. Supporters provide their unoccupied vacation homes or hotel lodging for my residencies throughout the year. I am always delighted to leave an original framed painting for them as my thanks for their generous gift. If you would like to sponsor a residency, I would love to hear from you.Contact me at: linda@lindablondheim.com

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Saturday, October 25, 2014

Big Talbot is a happy memory now. I am very grateful to North Florida Land Trust for their generous gift to me for two years. They are saving thousands of acres of wetlands for birds,artists, naturalists, wild animals and recreational boaters and fishermen. Please support your Florida Land Trusts to save what is left of our wild lands.

My favorite places were Big and Little Talbot Islands, Ft Clinch State Park , and the Kingsley Plantation, a national monument.

I really liked the Marche Burrette restaurant in the Omni Resort for breakfast and the 29 Bistro in Fernandina Beach.

The views from the back yard at the house were spectacular. The best time to go the Rebault Club Road is morning, and the best time at Little Talbot Island is late afternoon for the color and light.

Friday, October 24, 2014

For some bizarre reason we were up at 5:30 AM today. It is not an hour of the day I am fond of😫 After a cup a Joe, we were off the Ft Clinch State Park. We enjoyed taking some photos and exploring the park. We ran into these two fishermen who asked us to take some photos of them. We gladly obliged. They went through an elaborate staging for their photos. They are evidently in the fishing business, so wanted publicity shots. They were a lot of fun.

After the park, we headed for Fernandina Beach, to check out this quaint town. We toured two art galleries and enjoyed lunch at the 29 Bistro. They had service out on the porch and it was a cool day so we opted for that seating. The service was very good and so was the food. They serve an upscale version of Southern cuisine. I had the roasted pulled pork Cobb salad. It came with fried green tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese, delicious, and corn bread croutons, with a nutty flavored shredded cheese over greens. It was called BBQ pork, but it was roasted pork with a tangy sauce. Very tasty but not true BBQ. True BBQ must be smoked. Mary Jane had a pork sandwich with napa cabbage slaw. She said it was good. A very good lunch, well served.

We headed back to the Big Talbot where I did today's painting, while Mary Jane watched the critters on the marshes. We left for our late afternoon drive to study the light and take photos of Little Talbot Iland. The light was glorious indeed. My last day in paradise. I must get back to my town studio tomorrow and will go with gratitude to North Florida Land Trust for a fine week of painting.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

My guest Mary Jane and I had a full day of exploration at Little Talbot Island and Big Talbot and Ft George Islands, all the small and large nooks and crannies. The dune walks and beach boardwalks are especially lovely this year. All of the pink grasses are in full bloom now. I got to spend some time watching th waves roll in on the white sand beach at Little Talbot State Park. I have a great love for the large Red Cedar trees that grow prolifically in the dunes there.

We toured the Kingsley Plantation, which is beautiful but sobering with the history of slavery there. The tabby slave houses are all still intact. I learned that Kingsley plantation was a major destination for slave boats coming from Africa. It is such a beautiful place to have produced such horror in our past. The front yard has tall stately palms with a vast view of the marshes.

After my lunch of tuna fish on potato chips, I settled in to do the above small painting of a view from the Big Talbot House, provided by my friends at North Florida Land Trust. This house is large and very comfortable, with a lovely view of tall cabbage palms and the distant marsh. There is a fine long dock out on the water with spectacular marsh views. I could paint here forever and not grow tired of it. This chain of pristine barrier islands beats the heck out of St Simons further north. This is a truly splendid part of Florida.

Tomorrow we are to explore Amelia Island, Ft Clinch, and Fernandina Beach. More from paradise tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Today was quite busy. I started my day at the Ft George Inlet with about 20 painters from the First CoastPlein Air Painters group. I knew two of the painters. I enjoyed meeting several people and enjoyed doing a painting up in the parking lot. It gave me an excellent view of the marshes and palms of the inlet. A most enjoyable morning.

I finished up and headed for the little French cafe again for bacon and eggs with herb potatoes and good coffee. It is the nearest restaurant to my abode, so I will probably eat there for the rest of the week for breakfast.

Marsh Palms

After breakfast it was beginning to heat up so I opted for another painting back at the house. Luckily, the back yard is shady, and full of lovely tall palms. It is a swell place to paint. I'm waiting for my guest Mary Jane, to arrive tonight.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Day 1 was about arriving and getting settled into the house around noon. Not being aware, I set the house alarm off, which was "alarming!" I had to call the land trust director to turn it off. After I settled in I had some time to do a small painting before supper time. The view is spectacular of the back yard. As the sun went down over the marsh, I felt so lucky to have this opportunity.

Day 2 started with a surprise in finding about 20 people on my doorstep at 8:30. Yikes! It turned out to be a class of naturalists who meet there regularly. I let them in and headed out the door. I stopped at the little deli/restaurant with the French name in the Omni resort shoppes on Amelia Island. It has a nice small menu for breakfast and the food is very good and the service excellent.

I headed out for a pleasant drive to Ft Clinch State Park. I ran out of time last year and I really wanted to explore there, so that was my planned destination for today. It was well worth the drive. It is a large park with great diversities of habitats, flora and scenery. It is pristine and well designed. I saw a nice bird exhibit by the fishing pier and the pier walk is lovely. It is the longest pier I've seen in a long time, with benches along the way. The Fort is nice too, but mostly I enjoyed the scenery. The marsh and dune views are wonderful. Lots of shady walking space.

I returned home to have lunch and then paint again, sharing the space with the class for their afternoon session. I learned some things about Florida mammals while I enjoyed painting. One of the group bought a painting, so that was quite nice. Now I will enjoy a peaceful evening and watch the sun go down again. Tomorrow my friend Mary Jane arrives, so there will be much adventuring for the rest of the week.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

I had a short day at Fair Oaks, due to my once a month teaching schedule at Oak Hammock Art Studio after lunch. The morning was beautiful out but I opted to paint in the studio to save time. I enjoyed doing a small study of palms. After I cleaned up my painting mess and stored my paintings in the car, I enjoyed a little walk around the yard. The weather was beautiful but not cold enough yet to chase away the pesky mosquitos who were waiting to pounce.

The lunch bell rang and I was off like Pavlov's dogs to the cottage. We had marvelous chili dogs, green salad, homemade potato salad and apple pie. What a feast! Shamefully I ate two chili dogs. I just couldn't help myself. They were too good to turn down.

It was soon time to go but I was allowed to ring the bell in the new bell tower before I left. The bell was housed in an ancient country church and the steward of Fair Oaks purchased it for the estate. It was restored to its original glory and the tower was built to house the bell. The project was officially completed early this week. How wonderfully satisfying to see it now. It has a rich deep tone that can be heard for some distance. I am hoping we can have a dedication party in 2015. That is one of the lovely and special elements of Fair Oaks. All projects are done with great skill and finesse leaving a wonderful legacy for those who will come in the future. What an extraordinary place! I am so grateful for my time there. ﻿

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Today was pretty hot again, so Henry and I decided to paint in the Fair Oaks Studio this morning. First we worked on the display for the porch of the old house, refreshing it with some fall color.

I am working on a rotation of wave and ocean paintings for a few days so I did two small wave paintings. Henry is very content at Fair Oaks, as am I. It is a magical place for us, far from the stress of everyday living. Every Sunday I feel such joy at spending the day there. Definitely something to look forward to each week.

The lunch bell rang and we were off to join the staff for a feast of grilled chicken with smoked sausage, yellow rice(my favorite), and broccoli cooked to perfection. My kind host topped it off with a lovely cup of coffee, always a treat after a meal.

Today I used the dog bed in the golf cart for Henry. It is a swell wooden bed that fits on the seat and reaches all the way to the dash board. There is a piece of foam for the mattress and an old towel for a cover. It makes the cart much safer and cozier for dogs. It was Buddy's bed an we feel honored to use it. Henry loves it. He rides in comfort and safety, sitting up high so he can see everywhere. I've always loved having the dogs ride in the cart with me. Sometimes Shaney comes, but most often he enjoys staying very close to his Daddy.

The fields are tall with weeds and grasses at the end of the hot season. They are amazingly diverse in plants. Today I noticed in the pine tree field a delicate lavender flower growing on razor type leaves, very green. That field tends to be a bog much of a time and I wonder if the plants are semi-aquatic? They definitely are different from the grasses growing in other fields on the estate. Field three is getting full of those pesky Sweetgum trees that grow up in the fields, so it will probably be mowed soon to get rid of them.

When Henry ran out of steam, we boarded our steed and headed for home after a splendid day in paradise. ﻿

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Today was the kind of day we Floridians wait 5 months for. It was cool, with low humidity and beautiful. A day that makes all of the heat and bugs worth enduring for five months. The fields are beautiful and lush with flowers blooming. I gathered several of the lovely purple ones to press and dry in two weeks. I'll be making note cards with them.

I restored the old fairie house and put it back on the picnic bench. It looks sweet and colorful. It should last about a year. I first painted an 8x10 in Holy Ground Field. It was so pleasant in the shade, cool and beautiful!

I had time before lunch to do a second painting of the big pond, beginning to show fall color in one area. What a glorious view! As I cleaned up and headed for the studio to pick up paintings, our friend Kate Barnes arrived for lunch. We enjoyed her many stories. She has been everywhere and done many interesting things in her long career as writer, painter, politician and world traveler.

We enjoyed grilled sandwiches, potato salad and yellow squash for lunch, and a rice pudding brought by Kate to share. It was all delicious. I couldn't resist the urge to start a third painting for the day after lunch. I'll finish it one day in my studio.

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Fuel and Food Sponsors

You can sponsor this project by donating to my fuel costs or my costs for food in traveling to residencies.
My painting supplies and housing are covered by my residency hosts and my corporate sponsors. These adventures are expensive. Your sponsorship will help me defray the costs of travel.
If you would like to assist me please use the paypal link.

Canvas panels for Discerning Artists

Individual Residence Sponsors

You can assist me by offering your vacation home or other facility for seven to ten days. This project is possible through the generosity of land and home owners who support me with their hospitality. Please contact me if you would like to offer a residency. I love to paint farms and ranches, coastal marshes, and the wild places in Florida and the southeast. I would also welcome hosting for parties and gallery exhibitions of my residency work. I am currently supported by:

Linda's Project Mission

My mission for this project is to explore and paint my favorite natural places while promoting our national, state, and county parks in Florida. I want to create more awareness of these beautiful facilities so the public may enjoy Florida's natural resources. I am a native Floridian. I love to travel and spend time studying the variety and diversity of scenery in our wonderful state. I look forward to the opportunity to discover more of natural Florida and the south, sharing it with others.